by Anna Durand
All the women who aren't here with a significant other want to dance with my brother. I don't get it. He wears glasses, doesn't like to talk about himself or his work, and doesn't have the stellar sense of humor I have. Then again, I'm taken. So the ladies here have to settle for Dane.
I'm joking. You know that, right? Well, mostly joking.
My sexy little American leads me away to... a coat closet. No joke. She drags me in there, shuts the door, and pushes me back against the wall.
"What are you about?" I ask. "If Dane told you I was flirting with other women, he's a bloody liar."
"Oh, I know you'd never do that." She kneels in front of me. "I'm not going to yell at you. I have something else in mind."
"What are you---" My voice dies when she unzips my trousers. "Arden?"
"You wouldn't tell me how to do this, so I had to ask Elena." She pulls my dick out of my trousers and takes it in both her hands. "I want to do this for you, Reese."
"Uh, not here. Let's wait until we get back to the bed-and-breakfast."
"No more waiting." She licks the head of my blossoming erection. "You're coming for me whether you like it or not."
My laugh comes out choked and a bit panicked. "Arden, you don't have to---"
She kisses my cock and pumps it with one hand. "Why do you keep saying no? I thought guys loved getting blow jobs."
"Normally, yes, but not at my brother's wedding." My head falls back against the wall, and I groan when she takes me in her mouth. "Arden, please. Let's do this later."
Does that stop her? Of course not. She's determined, and when Arden wants something, I have no willpower to make me say no. This is even hotter than when she prances around in her virtually invisible underwear. Her mouth, her silky tongue on my skin, it's more than any normal human male could possibly resist. Not that I'm normal. Not that she's an average girl. And the way she slides her tongue over me while she sucks and pumps with her hand...
I grasp the back of her head and stop trying to resist.
The door flies open. Someone gasps. Another someone yelps.
Arden jerks away from me, falling backward and landing flat on her arse.
I stare at the man and woman who have stumbled onto our liaison in the coat closet, but I can't speak. Arden made sure of that.
The two people look familiar. My brain is thoroughly muddled by what Arden just did to me, so it takes me a moment of gawping to realize who these people are.
Arden's parents.
"Mom, Dad," she says, scrambling to her feet. "Why are you in the coat room? Are you leaving already?"
"No, flower girl," Arden's mother says. "We saw you and Reese come in here, and it seemed like you were taking a long time. We thought we should check on you, just in case."
"In case of what?" Arden says with a smirk. "In case we got trapped in coat cocoons spun by invisible aliens?"
Mr. Pesti glances at me---not my face, but down much lower where I'm still swinging free. He coughs and swerves his attention away. "Sorry we interrupted. Let's get back out on the dance floor, hey Tally?"
Arden's mother nods to her husband. "Oh yes, I'd love another dance with that hunky Dane."
For bizarre reasons I'm certain even she doesn't understand, Arden announces, "Reese is way hunkier than Dane and a better dancer."
"I'm sure he is," Tally Pesti says, winking at me.
Arden's parents leave the coat room.
She kneels in front of me again, stubbornly determined to finish what she started. The interruption from her parents has left me much limper than before they threw the door open.
I cup Arden's face in one hand. "Let's get back to this later, when we're alone in our room. I want to teach you more of my favorite things."
"And then you'll tell me how you like to be given a blow job?"
She looks so earnestly concerned about understanding what I like that I can't help dropping to my knees and kissing her, with only my lips. Anything deeper and I'll give in to her request right here in the coat room.
I rest my forehead against hers. "Yes, I'll tell you everything you want to know. Later."
Her smile, so bright and excited, makes my heart swell.
When I lead her back out into the reception hall, I glance around and spot Arden's parents dancing, smiling and laughing while they glide across the floor. Next, I see Chance and Elena dancing. She has her head on his shoulder, and he leans his head against hers while his eyes drift shut. His smile is the picture of contentment, and I wonder if I ever look that way when I'm with Arden.
I notice Dane and Celeste having a lively conversation at the periphery of the dance floor. They're not dancing, so I get curious about what they're discussing and decide to drag Arden over there. Is Celeste flirting shamelessly with my brother? I know her flirtations are only that, nothing more. Her husband is doing something that vaguely resembles the moonwalk with the girlfriend of one of Chance's mates. Celeste keeps glancing at her husband, her smile broadening every time she sees his strange dance moves.
Arden's family is full of nutters, I decide, but they're the friendliest, most lovable bunch of nutters I've ever met. They're clever too, a fact that most people probably overlook. Celeste is a billionaire, after all, and her husband serves as her chief operating officer.
We reach Celeste and Dane in the middle of their conversation.
"It's intriguing," Dane says, "but I'm used to running the business all on my own."
"And I don't want to change that. Think of me as your mentor and silent partner."
"What are you guys talking about?" Arden asks, her gaze flitting between her grandmother and my brother.
Celeste touches Arden's arm. "I'm propositioning Dane."
My brother opens his mouth two seconds before he manages to speak. "She means a business proposition. I've been telling Celeste about my company."
"Grams," Arden says, "you own a cosmetics company. Dane makes vibrators."
My brother clears his throat. "Sexual wellness devices."
Celeste makes a dismissive hand gesture aimed at Arden. "I know all about that. What do you think we've been chatting about? I've already expanded into perfume and jewelry. This is the next step in the evolution of Bonsoir. Our corporate motto is 'be your best after dark,' which ties in nicely with what Dane's company does."
Arden still seems confused. I'm right there with her. Cosmetics and vibrators? I have a sudden vision of women putting on makeup, spritzing on perfume, and grabbing their sex toys. Yes, it's important to look and smell your best when you're having a wank.
"You seem dubious," Celeste says to me. "Don't you want your brother to succeed? I can make him an instant billionaire."
I laugh, assuming she's not serious.
No one else is laughing.
"Wasn't that a joke?" I say. "Nobody becomes a billionaire overnight."
"Dane will," Celeste says. "With my help and the power of the Bonsoir brand behind him."
Christ, she means it. My brother, an instant billionaire? I can't decide whether to be happy for him or terrified of what Celeste will do to launch his company into the stratosphere.
She moves behind me and Arden to come up alongside me, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "I have a proposition for you too, Reese darling. How would you like to be my new vice president of advertising? My president of advertising will be retiring in a year or two, and I need to groom his replacement."
"Vice president? I've been a copywriter. And I'm twenty-four."
"So what? You're whip-smart, and I trust you. Trust is the scarcest commodity in business." She leans in to whisper in my ear. "If you're worried your coworkers will be jealous, let me handle that. I'm a genius at calming down internal strife."
That statement might've sounded arrogant coming from anyone else, but Celeste makes it sound reasonable. I believe she must be a genius at that, exactly as she claims.
"She really does rock the employee re
lations," Arden tells me. "Grams is great with people."
Celeste pats my shoulder. "Who knows? By the time you and Arden have your first baby, you might be the president of advertising at one of the world's largest corporations."
"Baby?" I splutter. "We're dating, Celeste. Only dating."
And I'm head-over-heels in love with Arden, but that doesn't change the fact we're still dating. It's been two weeks since we first met.
My girlfriend reaches across my body to smack her grandmother's arm. "Stop that, Grams. You're scaring Reese."
"I'm not scared," I announce.
Celeste kisses my cheek. "I'm looking forward to having you as a grandson-in-law."
"Grams!" Arden chastises.
"Still not scared," I declare, rather enjoying being sandwiched between beautiful women.
Dane, who's smirking, pushes up his glasses. "Arden, maybe you'd like to test drive some of my latest devices before they hit the market. I'm sure you'd have insightful feedback."
Arden tries to speak, but I jump in before she can get one word out. "No, she does not want to test your ruddy devices, Dane."
"What's wrong, Reese? Afraid she'll like my toys better than yours?"
I know he's having me on and trying his best to annoy me. Normally I wouldn't care. But whenever one of my brothers makes a slyly suggestive joke about my girl, I get... irritable.
This time, Arden beats me to the punch. "Oh, trust me, Dane. There's zero chance of your devices outdoing Reese. No offense. I'm sure your doohickeys are fantastic, but nothing compares to a real man."
I puff up like a turkey spreading his feathers for his mate. Yes, I'm a ridiculous arse. I don't care, because Arden announced to my smug brother that I'm a real man.
Dane chuckles. "Glad to hear it, Arden. Reese deserves a woman like you."
"What kind of woman am I?" she asks, and she's serious about the question.
Only Arden could try to give me a blow job in the coat room, then turn around and innocently ask my brother what sort of woman he thinks she is.
"The best sort," Dane says. "I've never seen my brother this happy before. You and Reese are perfect for each other."
Chance and Elena approach us then and announce they're leaving to start their honeymoon night. Tomorrow, they'll fly to the south of France for the first leg of their international holiday.
Arden and I go back to the bed-and-breakfast and get on with our lessons.
She is perfect for me. I think I've known that since the first time I saw her.
But it takes me three more weeks to summon the nerve to ask her the inevitable question. We're in my old bedroom in my parents' house, since the cottage we bought a few miles away isn't ready for us to move into yet. We're planning to alternate between America and England, so we can see both our families as often as possible. Arden has always worked from home, and Celeste loved the idea of her new vice president of advertising trading off stints in the New York and London offices.
Chance, Elena, and Dane are here for the weekend too. The newlyweds are just back from their honeymoon, and strangely, I want to hear all about it.
But right now, I'm sitting on the edge of the bed with Arden kneeling between my legs. She licks her lips and hums with pleasure.
"Mm, Reese," she says, "you always taste so damn good."
That's right. She now loves to get my cock in her mouth, and I love the way she does it. I'm a man, of course I love a blow job---especially from a stunning, passionate woman whom I just happen to worship.
I rub my thumb over her lips and kiss her forehead. "I love you, Arden. You really are the right woman for me."
"And you're the right man for me." She sits back on her heels and skims her hands along my thighs. "I love you too, baby."
"Will you marry me?"
Bollocks. I'd planned this whole speech, even practiced it in front of a mirror, but the words burst out of my mouth like my tongue has a mind of its own.
Her eyes bulge.
"Sorry," I say, covering my face with my hands. "That's the worst proposal ever, isn't it? I swear I had a romantic version ready to go, but---Gah, it flew out of my head."
Her soft, gentle hands peel mine away from my face. She smiles with such sweetness and tenderness that I get a strangely pleasant ache in my chest, the sort only she can give me. "I don't care how you propose, Reese. It's what you have in your heart that matters. And yes, I absolutely, positively want to marry you."
"Really?"
"Yes, really," she tells me with a laugh while she takes my face in her hands. "You're so cute when you're flustered. It makes me want to get it on with you."
"That would be my choice for how to celebrate our engagement."
She scuttles backward on her knees and flaps her fingers, telling me to move back.
I scramble backward up the bed until I bump into the pillows.
Arden hops up and takes a running leap at the bed. She lands straddling my calves, then crawls up my body until her face hovers above mine. "Ready to get hot and sweaty?"
"For you, always."
We decide to announce our engagement over dinner and even get Arden's parents and grandparents, along with Elena's brother, to join in via video call on three phones. Elena and Arden both shriek and jump up and down. Chance and I exchange amused looks, like we can't believe our women are so barmy. Who are we kidding? We love their enthusiasm.
Dane watches it all with one brow raised, acting like he thinks we're all barking mad.
I walk over to his chair and whisper in his ear, "Watch out, Dane, you'll be next."
He snorts. "Like hell I will."
"Famous last words, mate. Famous last words."
Arden's Version
One Hot Roomie
Chapter One
I'm lying on my bed in the apartment owned by my best friend, Elena, staring up at the ceiling while listening to my fave music through my earbuds. Elena's brother, Kyle, offered to let me stay here for a while so I can rest up after my stint in the Peace Corps, but I don't want to rest. I want to get laid, immediately. Since I don't know anyone in New York, my plan has some flaws. How will I meet a nice guy who's ready to get it on with no strings attached? Maybe I should ask Elena. I mean, she met her fiancé here and had a fling with him five minutes after they said hello.
My tummy rumbles. What I need right now is food.
So I ditch my earbuds, heave myself off the bed, and wander out into the hall, heading for the living room.
I stop dead at the end of the hall.
A man is sitting on the sofa.
"Oh!" The exclamation explodes out of me. My heart is racing, and my brain is plotting the quickest way to get to a phone or anything that I can use as a weapon.
The man vaults off the sofa, as surprised by me as I am by him.
And I suddenly realize I've got nothing on except my plaid undies and a tank top.
I shake my head wildly. "No, no, don't rape me. I'm a virgin."
"What? I---You're the intruder."
"Am not," I inform him. "I have a key."
"So do I." Raising a key, he waves it in the air. "Here it is."
My pulse is calming down a bit, though I really think it ought to keep pounding in my ears. I mean, who is this guy? He's gorgeous, but that does not mean he's safe. Why does he have a key?
If that's the actual key to this apartment...
"Kyle said I could have the place," I tell him. "So go. Scoot."
"Elena and Chance invited me to stay here. Alone." He creeps closer but stops before he gets near me. "Ring Elena and ask. She'll tell you."
I scrutinize him while I try to figure out what to do. He does have a British accent, like Chance Dixon. Elena can confirm or deny what this guy says, so I rush to the bar and lean over it to grab my cell phone off the counter. Straightening, I face the intruder again and dial Elena's number, holding the phone to my ear while I keep an eye on the British
stranger. "Your aura looks okay, but I better check with---"
"What's up, Arden?" Elena says cheerfully.
"Hey Elena, it's me. Did you invite some British guy to stay here?"
"Invite who to do what? Where are you, sweetie?"
"At your apartment."
"I thought you were back in Stockbridge. My apartment? Why would you go there?"
"What? Kyle said I could."
Elena sighs. "Oh honey, I'm sorry if you got scared. I had no idea Kyle said that. Chance and I told his brother Reese that he could stay there. I tried to call Kyle last night to tell him, but I had to leave a voice mail. Sent a text too. Sometimes he forgets to check for messages. "
"Ugh, that Kyle." I roll my eyes. "He's a sweetie but such a dufus sometimes." I look at the stranger who's watching me with a puzzled expression. "Are you sure he's safe?"
"Who?" Elena asks. "Oh, you mean Reese. Yes, I can vouch for Reese Dixon. Have you actually talked to him yet?"
"Yeah, of course." Well, sort of. "But..."
"He's a sweetheart, Arden. It's okay."
"Uh-huh. You're the one who told me I'm too trusting. How do I know this really is Reese Dixon?"
"I'll text you a picture of him."
"Okay." I hold the phone away from my face to peer at the picture she's just sent. I glance at Reese, and yes, he matches the photo. Sighing, I tell Elena, "I guess he is who he claims to be. Thanks, hon."
I hang up, set my phone on the bar, and walk up to the hot British guy standing by the sofa. I have to tip my head back to meet his gaze.
Then I offer him my hand. "I'm Arden Clover Pesti. It's nice to meet you, Reese Dixon."
He shakes my hand and I love how strong but gentle his grip is and how warm his palm feels on mine. "It's nice to meet you too. Arden, is it? That's an unusual name, especially for a girl."
"Yeah, it's weird, I know. Blame my parents. They're big-time hippies, even though the hippie thing ended in, like, nineteen seventy-seven."
"Hippies?"
"Flower children, bohemians, beatniks, et cetera."
"I know what the word means. Are you friends with Elena, then? Or just Kyle?"
